I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a tube bending fixture.
II. Description of Related Art
Tubes and hoses, i.e. tubes with reinforcing members (hereinafter collectively referred to as tubes) are conventionally manufactured in straight lengths. These straight lengths of tube are then cut to the appropriate length according to the particular application.
In many applications, for example when the tube is used in an automotive vehicle, it is necessary to bend the tube into a predefined shape prior to assembly of the tube in the vehicle. In order to accomplish this, the tubes, after being cut to shape, are typically manually mounted to a former which retains the tube in the desired final bent shape. The former is then placed within an oven which heats the tube to a temperature sufficient to enable the tube to soften and, upon subsequent cooling, retain its desired bent shape. The tube and former are then removed from the oven and, after cooling, the tube is manually removed from the former. Similarly, for thermoset materials, such as thermoset rubber, the tube is placed on the former and then heated to its thermoset temperature. Once the thermoset material has been reached, the tube retains its shape.
While these previously known formers for bending tubes have proven adequate in operation, the tube bending process is labor intensive since the tubes must be individually manually mounted to the former prior to their introduction into the oven and thereafter manually removed from the former following completion of the bending operation. This labor-intensive process increases the overall manufacturing cost of forming the tubes into their desired end shape.
Additionally, the insertion of the former into the tube increases the risk of scoring the inside of the tube. Furthermore, upon removal of the former from the tube, the tube must be temporarily deformed which further adds to variability in shape of the final product.